Koh Phi Phi, in the Krabi region of Thailand, is a stunningly beautiful island – both above and below the surface. There’s no coincidence that travellers and Hollywood directors with film crews alike have chosen to spend time basking in its sun-drenched glory. Whilst in this tropical location, there are many activities to engage in to pass the time. Of course SCUBA diving is one, but not the only one…
Ton Sai Bay, Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi boasts great accessibility to its local dive sites, all year round. With the dive sites so close, it’s also ideal for people who like to do half-day trips (two dives) and still have the rest of the day free to enjoy the other delights that Phi Phi can offer – including hitting the beach, rock-climbing, and walking to the view points for stunning vistas of Koh Phi Phi Don’s twin bays.
The reward for walking up to the viewpoint…
The local dive sites offer spectacular underwater scenery too. My favourites, The Bidas (Bida Nok and Bida Nai), are two small islands just off the end of Koh Phi Phi Ley. Both are stunning sites. The coral is stunning – a rainbow of soft corals, large intact sea fans and great hard coral cover too. The beauty of these sites is that they are great for all levels of training, from Discover Scuba Diving students, Open Water students, and also more advanced training (I often conduct IDC training out there) and are also awesome for certified ‘fun divers’ too.
PADI IDC action from Bida Nok, Koh Phi Phi…
Bida Nok has a nice bay at one end which offers good protected, sandy areas for conducting DSDs and skills for Open Water courses. If you follow the reef that extends from this bay you can easily reach 30m too. Coming out from the bay, one side of the island is also more sheltered and shallower than the other, and is ideal for less experienced divers, while the more experienced can check out the delights of the deeper water on the opposite side.
A leopard shark at Koh Phi Phi, Thailand…
All the local sites offer varied marine life too. Turtles (mainly hawksbill, but also green) are very common. Also very common are the leopard sharks (or zebra sharks depending on your preferred common name), and black-tipped reef sharks too. We get many of the usual suspects in and around the reef (moray eels, octopus, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, Kuhl’s stingrays in the sand etc), but are also very lucky to have seahorses as a relatively common sight. We can also spot harlequin shrimp and frogfish from time to time. Not something that I’d lead people to expect, but when lucky we can also see passing whale sharks on the reefs too.
The beautiful Harlequin Shrimp (courtesy of Neutral Buoyancy images)
We are also lucky to have large schools of yellow snapper, barracuda and fusiliers dancing around the reefs, often being hunted by jacks…
The diving on Phi Phi offers relatively easy and gentle conditions. Currents are mild, visibility averages 20m, and the water temperature hovers close to 30ºC year round. The best time of year to visit is from October through to May, but the weather is fine year round – maybe evening showers more during the rest of the year. With the 30ºC water temperature, many people opt to dive with just a rashtop and board shorts. Phi Phi Barakuda offer 3mm shorties as standard, but we also have longer suits available for people who feel the cold more.
When not diving, there is also plenty to do to keep the visitor occupied. Thai food is awesome and there are plenty of restaurants to try. There are also walks to the viewpoints to overlook the bays (very nice for sunset/sunrise). Traditional Thai massages are readily available too. The beaches are also stunning and a great place to spend an afternoon after two morning dives. Phi Phi is also a good place for rock-climbing.
Also another water activity is to snorkel with black-tipped reef sharks on Long Beach. This is best early in the morning, but possible throughout the day.
Black-tipped reef shark cruising its reef… (photo courtesy of Neutral Buoyancy Images)
There are also many boat/snorkelling trips on offer, including the famous Maya Bay, where Leonardo DiCaprio and friends filmed the movie ‘The Beach’. Maya Bay is also where we often eat our lunch during surface intervals on our dive trips.
Koh Phi Phi is relatively easy to get to. There are many options to suit all budgets. From Bangkok you can either fly to Krabi or Phuket airports or you can take overnight buses down too. From Krabi or Phuket you then jump on the ferry across to Phi Phi Don.
Map of the region.
Phi Phi locals are very friendly and welcoming to all foreign visitors. Visitors should be aware of local traditions/customs on Phi Phi as much as anywhere else in Thailand. Thai New Year (Songkran) is an especially good time to visit, as basically the day (April 13th) involves a huge water-fight and is a great experience.
So, what are you waiting for ? Book your flight now and come see for yourself the myriad of pleasures that await you on Koh Phi Phi…
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